Trip | A Grand Canyon South Rim camping weekend | Grand Canyon National Park, AZ | 3 days
Day 1 – The rim and a Hopi Point sunset
12:00 PM | Stay | Mather Campground, 1 Mather Campground Rd, Grand Canyon Village, AZ | Check-in from noon. Reserve up to six months ahead; standard sites hold up to 6 people
12:30 PM | Eat | Canyon Village Market & General Store, 1 Market Plaza Rd, Grand Canyon Village, AZ | Stock up on water, ice and camp food for the weekend
1:30 PM | Do | Mather Point, Grand Canyon Visitor Center, Grand Canyon Village, AZ | Park at the visitor center lots and walk out; there's no parking at the point
2:30 PM | Do | Rim Trail, Yavapai Geology Museum, Grand Canyon Village, AZ | Walk the paved rim west from Mather Point to Yavapai Geology Museum, then ride the Orange Route back
4:45 PM | Do | Hopi Point, Hermit Road, Grand Canyon Village, AZ | Take the Red Route shuttle from the Hermit Road Transfer Station. The last bus out leaves at sunset, so go early
7:00 PM | Eat | Arizona Steakhouse, Bright Angel Lodge, 9 Village Loop Dr, Grand Canyon Village, AZ | Dinner only; reservations open 45 days ahead
Day 2 – Sunrise and below the rim
6:00 AM | Travel | Grand Canyon Visitor Center, Grand Canyon Village, AZ > Kaibab Rim (Orange) Route, Yaki Point, Grand Canyon Village, AZ | The first eastbound bus leaves the visitor center at 6 AM. Yaki Point is closed to private cars
6:15 AM | Do | Yaki Point, Yaki Point, Grand Canyon Village, AZ | Get there before the sun clears the horizon and bring warm layers
7:30 AM | Do | South Kaibab Trail, South Kaibab Trailhead, Grand Canyon Village, AZ | Ooh Aah Point is 1.8 miles round trip; Cedar Ridge is 3 miles round trip. No water on the trail; reach it on the Orange Route
12:00 PM | Eat | Harvey House Café, Bright Angel Lodge, 9 Village Loop Dr, Grand Canyon Village, AZ | Breakfast and lunch only
1:30 PM | Do | Verkamp's Visitor Center, Village Historic District, Grand Canyon Village, AZ | Exhibits on the village's history, steps from the Rim Trail
6:30 PM | Eat | We Cook Pizza & Pasta, 605 N State Route 64, Tusayan, AZ | Walk-in only, takeout available; just outside the South Entrance
Day 3 – Desert View and the drive out
10:00 AM | Travel | Mather Campground, Grand Canyon Village, AZ > Desert View Drive, Desert View Dr, Grand Canyon Village, AZ | Check out by 11 AM. Lipan Point is closed until December 23, 2026
10:30 AM | Do | Grandview Point, Desert View Dr, Grand Canyon Village, AZ | One of the first big overlooks heading east
11:15 AM | Do | Moran Point, Desert View Dr, Grand Canyon Village, AZ | Usually quieter than the village viewpoints
Maybe | Do | Tusayan Pueblo Site, Desert View Dr, Grand Canyon Village, AZ | Ancestral Puebloan village ruin about 3 miles west of Desert View; seasonal, closed some weekdays
12:15 PM | Do | Desert View Watchtower, Desert View, Grand Canyon Village, AZ | Free tickets for the upper floors, 25 people at a time, when staffing allows. Fill up at the 24-hour gas pumps
1:45 PM | Eat | Cameron Trading Post, 466 US-89, Cameron, AZ | Navajo tacos; on US-89 after the East Entrance
3:00 PM | Travel | Cameron Trading Post, Cameron, AZ > Flagstaff, Flagstaff, AZ | About an hour south on US-89